MOOSIC — Manny Banuelos’ time with Double-A Trenton didn’t produce the results he would have liked.

But in his first start with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he put on a performance he knows he can do on a consistent basis.

Banuelos gave up two hits over five innings and allowed only one run, one walk and struck out four, and the RailRiders’ offense helped him with 12 hits in a 6-1 victory over Louisville at PNC Field.

“I felt pretty good,” Banuelos said. “I’m so excited. It took me a long time to come back here. The last couple outings I’ve had in Trenton, I’ve been throwing more than three innings and that was my goal. Throw four or five innings and then to come here and throw five, I feel pretty happy, especially because my arm feels good.”

After missing all of the 2013 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, the 23-year-old Banuelos began the year with Single-A Tampa and, after five games, he was promoted to Trenton, where he struggled at times.

In 17 games with the Thunder, he was 1-3 with a 4.59 ERA, 44 strikeouts and 19 walks in 49 innings. He last pitched for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2012, when he went 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in six starts for the Yankees.

But Banuelos cruised through the first two innings, retiring Louisville in order on just 22 pitches.

With one out in the third, Banuelos hit catcher Bryan Anderson with a pitch, who then moved up to second on a wild pitch.

After he struck out Steve Selsky with an 88-mph cutter, Jason Bourgeois lined an RBI single to center field to give the Bats a 1-0 lead. Banuelos, though, bounced back by striking out Ruben Gotay to end the inning.

That lead wouldn’t last long. With one out and Jose Pirela on first, Rob Refsnyder ripped a single to left and a hustling Pirela slid into third base safely to give the RailRiders runners on the corners. Zoilo Almonte tied the game on the next pitch with a single of his own and, like Pirela, Refsnyder went from first to third.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre still had runners on the corners with one out, but Almonte misjudged a pitch in the dirt by former RailRider Brett Marshall, tried advancing to second and got himself in a rundown. Anderson fired to shortstop Rey Navarro, who then threw to first baseman Donald Lutz and tagged out Almonte for the inning’s second out.

Kyle Roller, however, stayed hot and gave the RailRiders a 2-1 lead with his second double of the game into the right center field gap.

“Zoilo was just trying to be aggressive there and there’s no harm in that,” Refsnyder said. “But the way Roller’s been swinging the bat, he’s probably been our hottest bat the last week and that was big for us when he came through with that hit.”

That was all the run support Banuelos needed. After issuing a one-out walk in the fourth, he struck out Lutz with a fastball on the outside corner and then got Navarro to fly out to right to end the inning.

He came back out for the fifth and after giving up a two-out single, he coerced a fly out from Bourgeois to end the inning and his night. He threw 67 pitches, 42 of which were strikes.

“I feel very confident for attacking the zone,” Banuelos said. “My fastball, changeup and cutter were working and helping me a lot.”

Marshall, who pitched for the RailRiders last season, was also cruising until the RailRiders got to him in the sixth. Zelous Wheeler led the inning off with a double down the left field line and on the next pitch, Corban Joseph hit a tailing fly ball to Gotay in left.

But Gotay badly misread the ball and it fell behind him, allowing Wheeler to score and Joseph to end up on second. After a Francisco Arcia walk and a Taylor Dugas strikeout, Rob Segedin ripped Marshall’s 0-1 delivery into the left center field gap, plating Joseph and increasing the RailRiders’ lead to 4-1.

They weren’t done. With the count full, Pirela broke out of his 0 for 22 slump with a two-run triple, his International League-leading eighth of the season.

Louisville threatened in the seventh. With one out and runners on the corners, the RailRiders called on Tyler Webb to relieve Branden Pinder. Pinch-hitter Hernan Iribarren blooped a single that fell just in front of a charging Pirela in shallow left. But the ball one-hopped to Pirela and he fired a rope to Arcia at the plate and tagged out a sliding Navarro for the second out, ending pretty much any hope Louisville had for a comeback.

“That was a momentum-killer,” Refsnyder said. “It was kind of a weird play and a really good throw by Pirela. He’s going through a little funk right now but he’s such a good ballplayer. When he goes, I think our team goes.”

Contact the writer: shennigan@timesshamrock.com

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